Gas-engine.



No. 642,043. Patented Ian. 23, I900. W. A. KOPE.

GAS ENGINE.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1897-) (N0 Mode!) F -qI 6w W11 Z1. am A K a ka fi /M 3313 His Gwen ru rrnn STATES PATENT rricn.

WILLIAM A. KOPE, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

GAS-ENGINE.

SYECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,043, dated January23, 1900.

Application filed August 6, 1897. Serial No. 647,290. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 77mg; concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. Kora, a citizen of the United States,residing in Kansas City, in the county of Wyandotte and State of Kansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification, refer ence being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in gas and gasolene engines.

It relates particularly to the class of gasengines of the two-cycleexplosive type in which the explosive mixture is first compressed beforeignition.

My invention provides a construction of engine employing a pistonreciprocable in a cylinder so combined with a system of gas passages andvalves that during the forward stroke of the piston the explosive gasmixture is drawn into a receiving-chamber and is then transferred uponthe return stroke of the piston and compressed into the working end ofthe cylinder, the gas mixture being exploded at or near the end of thereturn stroke and the burned gas expelled from the cylinder during thefirst half of the next return stroke of the piston.

My invention provides, further, a reciprocable piston operating in acylinder, the piston being provided with a peripheral annularenlargement which is fitted in an enlargement provided therefor in thecylinder combined with gas -passages leading from the gas-supply to thesaid enlarged portion of the cylinder, a suitable valve or valvescontrolling the flow of gas through the said passage, a gas-passageleading from the said cylinder enlargement to the working end of thecylinder, a valve controlling the said last-named passage, and means forexpelling the burned gas from the cylinder at the proper time.

My invention provides certain other novel features of constructionhereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure Irepresents a vertical sectional view of a vertical type of engine in theconstruction of which are employed the principles of my invention. Inthis view the piston is represented half-way on the downward stroke.Fig. II represents a front elevation View, a portion being broken awayso as to show the construction of the valve controlling the exhaust-gaspassage.

Similarletters of reference indicate similar parts.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate an engine of the verticaltype, A indicates the cylinder, the lower end of which is secured to theupper end of the crank-casing B, which wholly incloses a chamber inwhich rotates the crank-shaft D. The upper end of the crank-chamber isprovided with an annular opening the peripheral walls of which registerwith the peripheral walls of an enlarged chamber with which the lowerend of the cylinder A is provided.

0 indicates the piston, the upper end of which is longitudinally movablein the smaller or working chamber of the cylinder and the lower end ofwhich is provided with an annular peripheral enlargement fitted to andlongitudinally movable in the enlarged portion of the cylinder.

E is the bar connecting the piston C with the crank of the crank-shaftD.

F indicates the cap covering the upperend of the cylinder A. The underside of the cap F is provided with a cavity which serves the purpose ofan exploding and compressing chamber.

G designates a carbureter or mixing-chamher through which the supply ofmixed gas and air is drawn and which may be of any desirableconstruction and which communicates with the chamber in the crank-casingby means of a gas-passage H, in which is inserted between the carbureterand the crankcasing chamber a check-valve I, also of any desirableconstruction and which prevents the return of the gas from thecrank-casing chamber to the carbureter or gas-supply. Connecting thecrank-casing chamber with the enlarged portion of the cylinder-chamberabove the peripheral enlargement of the piston is a gas-passage J, made,preferably, by coring the casting forming the body of the cylinder. Acheck-valve K of any desirable construction is inserted in thegas-passage J and prevents the backward flow of the gas from thecylinder to the crank-casing chamber. In the body of the cylinder andthe cap F is provided a gas-passage L, which connects the enlargedportion of the cylinderchamber with the compressing and explodingchamber at the upper end of the cylinder. A check-valve M of any chosenform is inserted in the gas-passage L and prevents the backward flow ofthe gas therethrough.

N indicates the exhaust-passage through which the burned gas is expelledfrom the cylinder. Controlling the said gas-passage N is a valve 0,which may be of any suitable positive-acting design and which isactuated to permit the expelling of the burned gas by mechanism operatedby some of the moving parts of the engine.

In Fig. II is illustrated a chosen form of mechanism for controlling theescape of gas through the passage N. The valve 0 is provided with adownwardly-projecting stem R, the lower end of which is square andvertically movable in a square opening in a projection V, extendinghorizontally from the lower end of the cylinder. Pivotally secured tothe lower end of the valve-stem R is a friction-roller S, adapted torest upon the periphery of a cam T, which is rotatable with thecrank-shaft D. The valve 0 is held to its seat by means of a coil-springP, which encircles the valve-stem R, the upper end of the spring restingagainst the casing inclosing the gas-passage N and the lower end bearingagainst a transverse pin Q, extending through the stem R. The tension ofthe spring P is such that the stem is forced downwardly, thus holdingthe Valve in its seat except during such time as the stem is raised bythe cam T operating upon the roller S. U indicates a fly-wheel mountedupon and rotatable with the crank-shaft D.

My invention is operated as follows: The crank-shank D is rotated so asto force the piston O downward. The enlarged portion of the pistondescending in the enlarged chamber of the cylinder A tends to create avacuum in the said portion of the cylinder above the peripheralenlargement of the piston, and a charge of mixed gas and air then passesthrough the passage J and past the valve K into the cylinder above theperipheral flange of the piston, the charge being taken from thecrank-shaft-casing chamber into which it had'been previously drawn fromthe carbureter G through the passage II and past the valve I. After thepiston has reached its lowermost position in the cylinder and starts torise therein the valve K closes and the valve M opens, permitting thegas charge to pass from the enlarged part of the cylinde'r through thepassage L and past the valve M into the chamber above the small part ofthe piston, where it is compressed by the continued upward movement ofthe piston. At the time the piston has reached its highest position inthe cylinder the charge of gas has been transferred into the cylinderabove'the smaller portion of the piston from the enlarged portion of thecylinder, and, owing to the relatively small size of the combustionchamber compared with the size of the cham-' ber above the peripheralenlargement of the piston, is highly compressed. The charge is thenignited in any of the well-known ways for so doing, as by anignition-tube attached to the combustion-chamber, by an electric sparkgenerated in the combustion-chamber at the proper time, or by any otherdesirable firing means. The exploding of the charge forces the pistondownward, the etfect of the explosion being spent upon the small upperend of the piston. At the time of the exploding of the charge the valveM is closed, thus preventing a backflow of the gas through the passageL. During the upward movement of the piston a fresh charge is drawn intothe crank-shaft-casing chamber through the passage H and past the valveI. This charge is drawn into the enlarged chamber of the cylinder duringthe following downward movement of the piston through the passage J andpast the valve K. Duringthe downward movement of the piston, due to theforce of the ignited gas mixture above the upper end of the piston theexhaust-passage N is closed by means of the valve 0, which is held toits seat by means of the coilspring P. The cam T is so disposed on thecrank-shaft D that it will open the valve 0 at the end of the downwardstroke of the piston, thus permitting the burned gas in the upper end ofthe cylinder to escape through the passage N, which is located in thecylinder at aboutthe middle of the stroke of the small por tion of thepiston. The fly-wheel U, through the momentum imparted to it on thedown-' ward stroke of the piston, carries the piston on the upwardstroke.

In the construction of gas-engine invented by me the piston has animpulse imparted to it at every downward stroke, which permits of greatregularity of operation and fits the engine for such work as electricgeneration and other work requiring regularity of oper-' ation. Anywell-known form of automatic regulation or governing device may be usedin connection with my engine, and, as already stated, the charge may beignited in any manner desired. Various modifications in construction maybe made from the one illustrated in the drawings without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-engine the combination with a cylinder provided with twocommunicating chambers of different diameters, of a reciprocable pistonfitted to one of the chambers and provided with a peripheral enlargedportion fittedto the other chamber, an inclosed crankshaft-casingchamber, a gas-passage leading from the supply to the saidcrank-shaft-casin g chamber, a gas-passage leading from thecrank-shaft-casing chamber to one of the cylinder-chambers, agas-passage connecting the ing from said enlarged portion of thecylinder to the smaller end thereof, a valve controlling said passage,anexhaust-passage lead- 15 ing from the cylinder, and a valve controllingsaid passage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WVI LLIAM A. KOPE.

Witnesses:

WARREN D. HOUSE, E. E. CHANDLER.

